Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Decreases Stock Position in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its Clorox stake by 5.8% in the first quarter, selling 18,124 shares and ending with 293,931 shares valued at about $30.46 million.
• Clorox reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $1.64 per share versus the $1.55 consensus estimate, while revenue came in at $1.67 billion and was essentially flat year over year.
• Analysts remain cautious on the stock, with several firms lowering price targets or ratings; the overall consensus rating is “Reduce,” with an average price target of $103.40.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 293,931 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,124 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of Clorox worth $30,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Clorox by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,434,277 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,946,000 after buying an additional 282,794 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Clorox by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,085,000 after acquiring an additional 884,751 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,172,233 shares of the company's stock worth $318,613,000 after acquiring an additional 10,060 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Clorox by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,136,405 shares of the company's stock worth $316,244,000 after acquiring an additional 426,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Clorox by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company's stock worth $214,564,000 after acquiring an additional 439,797 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE CLX opened at $95.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $94.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.10. The company has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.54. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $84.70 and a 12 month high of $132.03.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. Clorox had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 443.64%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. Clorox's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $85.82 per share, with a total value of $429,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,544,760. This trade represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CLX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $102.00 to $85.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Clorox from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $103.40.

About Clorox

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company's flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox's diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.

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